Fanning the Flames
by Raven-Leigh
Summary: Sephiroth and Reno slowly grow closer together as events in the world progress toward Sephiroth's madness. Warning, lots of OOCness and strange random plotlines.
1. And In the Beginning

"Sephy, Sephy, calm down, yo. It's only hair... I PROMISE it's gonna grow back. Man, you ain't really gonna kill me, are ya? It's just a little bitty bit of hair and... You look good. Why so serious, yo?" Reno sighed, trying to remember just WHY he was in the situation of playing a deadly game of tag with a psychotic general. Oh yeah... It was all because of Tseng and his damn scissors. He looked down at the scissors in question, then down at the desk where the lovely silver locks he'd shorn were lying, and then up just in time to avoid what would have surely been a fatal punch to the head.

"Little rooster, I'm going to KILL you." Sephiroth glared at him, the normally long, flowing bangs flicking in his eyes irritatingly, bobbing near his chin.

"Seph, whoa whoa... It was an accident, a freak accident-"

"You're going to be a freak accident by the time I'm finished with you." Reno could've sworn Sephiroth was angry before he turned and high-tailed it out of the high and mighty one's office, shooting past employees with scissors in hand, hoping he didn't fall as he tore across the building.

Sephiroth sighed, placing his fingers to his forehead. "Of all the people, and on all of the days as the one I have to give a report to the President... A day like today. Today isn't one of those good days... Perhaps Genesis could take the repo-..." No, nevermind. He glared down at the silver strands of hair on his desk, then reached out to poke at them. No amount of glue or string would put them back the way they were, silky and long. Reno had ruined his hair, and he was rather upset about it. Not that Sephiroth was like his good friend Genesis, oh no. Genesis would spend hours in the bathroom at a time, poking and combing, prodding and parting his hair, only to sweep it out in his normal long style to gel it that way. And that was the way it always stayed. The redheaded general would never let him live it down if he were to see his rival in such a shorn state.

Reno hadn't even cut it off straight. "Bastard." Sephiroth threw his keyboard across the room, listening to the resonating thud on the opposite wall. It made an indention just like the phone and answering machine had before it. Now if only he could make a Reno-shaped one just above or below that one.

***

"And so... I kinda reached out to pet his hair, yo...y'followin' me? And I kinda stroked the hair cuz I ain't never seen nothin' that long and silky and it was all smooth and stuff, right?" Reno watched Rude as the man just nodded his head like a bobbly hood ornament. "And...well... I wondered if it would cut, cuz y'know it's exac'ly the color of metal, and fuck me walkin', the shit cut right off and landed on the desk, yo. Sephy whipped 'round on me and gave me that look like 'I'm gonna kill you, RAWR!' and then we was kinda playin' ring-around-the-rosie for a little bit 'fore I ran off." Reno paused to take a swig of his beer, then focused on the bald man once again. "I'm tellin' ya, he blew it ALL out of proportion."

Rude sighed and took off his sunglasses, examining them for any small spots on the surface of either lens. He sifted through what he was about to tell the redhead, trying to figure out how to make it any easier. Finally, he decided to just say it. "Reno, can I have your gun when you're dead?"

The perky Turk just blinked a few times. "Say wha?"

"Can I have your gun after Sephiroth kills you? It's one of the really good ones that ShinRa doesn't give out anymore an-"

"Whoa whoa, you really think the silver haired priss is gonna KILL me?"

"He kind of does it for a living, Reno. If Sephiroth decides he wants to kill someone, who are we to argue with him?" He smirked and put his sunglasses back on, draining the rest of his beer. "It's a hard knock life for you, isn't it? You shouldn't play with scissors. You're always doing something weird with them, whether it's cutting another man's hair or cutting snowflakes in Elena's paperwork and hanging them around Rufus's office."

"Hey, the squirt needed some cheerin' up, yo. If I didn't do it, who else would? He LIKES what I do. He would'a fired me a long time ago if he didn't."

"Keep telling yourself that, partner. He still hasn't gotten all of the twine down from that little trick. But I'm out. I've got an early mission tomorrow."

"Awww, man, you're just gonna leave me high and dry just like that? That ain't fair, yo. Why don't we catch some tequila? Some jello shots or somethin'?"

"Fair is fair, and the last time I went on a bender with you, I woke up wearing a bra and a pair of matching black lace panties. I don't want to do a repeat of that situation. President ShinRa kept giving me that look...THAT look. You know the one he gives people."

"Love Rufus to death, but his old man is a creep, inn't he? Kinky old bastard, rawr."

"Whatever. Reno, try to stay alive until I get back. Get on Sephiroth's good side. Maybe you'll get to know him." Rude threw down some gil and then turned, making his way out of the bar.

Reno thought about what he'd said and laughed it off...then got serious. What if Rude was right? A wide grin split on the Turk's face. Oooh yeah, a sure way to get on a SOLDIER's side...he would kill Sephiroth with kindness, appeal to his good, moral side, try to tame the beast. He knew just the people that could help, too. Reno shot up and ran off, searching through his contact list in his phone. The barmaid just sighed and shook her head, taking up Rude's share of the bill and putting the rest on Reno's tab.


	2. Hoodies and Hoodlums

Sephiroth found that he wasn't a very forgiving person. It was a week between the time that his pretty silver locks were taken away from him and the time that he stopped wearing casual clothing to work. Yes, people stared at the Great General Sephiroth as he strolled down the halls of ShinRa in a hoodie all that week...hood up, hands shoved in the pockets. No one dared speak a word, though...at least not in his hearing range. And so, that was how Reno heard about it, through the grapevine.

"He's joined a gang, yo! I cut his god damn hair and it made him go off'n join a street gang! What've I done?!"

Tseng slid a hand through his own hair, glared up at Reno. He wasn't normally so short tempered, but the redhead was beating on his last nerve with a piece of broken rusty pipe. He had a business report to finish, paperwork to get done and signed, and tons of emails to reply to. "And tell me, since when has Sephiroth had the need to join a gang, Reno? Especially when he has a whole gang of SOLDIERs that follow him into battle. They'd dance naked in a sea of bullets for him, so why would he be so inclined to join a gang of street hoodlums?"

Reno opened his mouth, then closed it. He turned and walked out of the office.

***

Sephiroth was in a real huff. He sat down at his desk to sign something and was met by the sound of an opening door. He looked up and immediately his eye went into twitches. "What do YOU want? To cut off my eyebrows to go with my hair?"

"Nah, jus' wanted t'say I'm reaaaal real sorry, yo. So... What's your sign?"

"Huh?"

"Your symbol, man. Your mark, your tag, your ART. What is it, yo?"

"Reno, have you been chasing ultra strength Paracetamol with sake again?"

The redhead sighed and tutted, sitting himself down on the chair in front of Sephiroth's desk, straddling the back cushion. "Sephy, Sephy... Yo, it's okay. It's 'kay t'talk about your problems. So ya got a hair fetish... Don't give ya the right to run off, join a street gang, try an' make yourself unique. Ya can still be unique with short hair, too."

Sephiroth stood and stared at the redhead, blinked a few times and then contemplated what was going on. He was convinced Reno was drunk. "I wonder how big of a splat you would make on the concrete if I were to throw you from my window?"

"That's a sign'a aggression! Ya need to channel your aggression, Seph. Breathe in...breathe out... Wax on...wax off..."

"Reno. I swear before Jenova's cold dead alien body that if you don't get out, you're going to be cold and dead."

"Can I see your glock?"

"GET OUT GOD DAMNIT!" Sephiroth screamed and launched himself across the desk, slamming his chin against the back of the chair Reno had been seated upon only moments before. He tasted blood as he saw the door slam shut. Reno was grating his last nerves...and he was damn sure it was the innocent, slow grate...which made it all the worst.


	3. Glorious News

And so, the week of the hoodie ended. Sephiroth took to wearing his normal clothing again, had his hair cut off to one length as opposed to the choppy job Reno had done to him in the office impromptu-style. He went about his regular duties, trying to avoid the redhead, but often times it was absolutely inevitable to have to deal with him.

Seph sat down heavily across from Phinneaus ShinRa, watched as he clicked through a few more web sites, completely ignoring his presence. And that was the way he liked it best, when he wasn't paying attention to him. Sometimes it was easier to be invisible than to be noticed and told to do something he didn't want to do. Even the Great General sometimes had to do things he hated... Yes indeedy. Finally, ShinRa looked up, addressing his best SOLDIER. "So... You and Reno have been having a tussle, eh?" He leveled Sephiroth with one of those looks...one of THOSE looks. He knew he wasn't about to like anything that came out of his mouth.

***

"WHAT?! That ain't fair, yo!"

Tseng sighed and rubbed his temples. "You've no choice. You started the mess and now you're going to have to live with it. Didn't anyone tell you that you shouldn't play with scissors, Reno?"

"It was an accident! I didn't 'spect it to be all blowed out of proportion, yo! I gotta go WITH him? He'll rip me to shreds, boss! Why's he gotta have a fuckin' bodyguard anyway? He's SEPHIROTH! C'mon..."

"Well apparently President ShinRa thinks that if you can get close enough to cut his hair, someone can get close enough to cut his throat. Relax. It's going to be relaxing. You'll go with him to Icicle Inn so that he can give a morale-boosting speech to the people there. ShinRa is planning on installing a mako reactor there in the vague future so that people can heat their homes better. You'll guard Sephiroth the week that he's gone and then when you come back, everything will be fine. Got it?"

Reno knew there was no use in arguing with Tseng when he had his mind made up. "Fine. I better be gettin' a damn vacation after this, yo."

"This IS your vacation. A vacation away from ShinRa, you could say. Dress warmly, Reno. Dismissed." He turned back to his paperwork and started even as Reno shot him a death glare through red bangs. He turned on his heel and slouched off, moping as soon as he got out of the office.

***

Reno glared up at Sephiroth. The general was standing before Tseng's office, having obviously been waiting on him. "Come to gloat, ya bastard?"

"I haven't come to gloat about anything, you bastard. I simply came to appeal to your boss to not do what I knew President ShinRa had already suggested. He's such a sadistic bastard." He stepped toward the office, but got stopped.

"Already said it, yo. I'm goin' with ya and that's final when it comes to Tseng."

"Just lovely. A babysitter that can't even babysit himself."

"I can babysit myself just fine, yo. Just dun look forward to babysittin' your big ass. Hey, 'least I ain't gotta change any diapers."

"You might have to change your own."

"Why'sat?"

"After I drive masamune into your spine, you'll be wheelchair bound, therefore having to wear adult diapers. Wouldn't that be fun? Oooh, I bet Tseng can even change them for you."

"Sadistic bastard." He followed Sephiroth as he turned and started swishing off, looking up at the short cropped hair. "... Really am sorry 'bout the hair, yo. Looks good on ya, though."

"Whatever, Turk." He was still angry, and he still would be for a long, long time. He'd never cut his hair except for the occasional grooming trim to get rid of split ends, and he'd wanted to keep it that way. Reno seemed to think that personal bubbles were meant to be popped, though. So he had something for him later. "We'll be leaving sometime this evening. I encourage you to be ready to go as soon as the time gets here, understand?"

"I don't do good with deadlines, but I'll try, yo." He smirked. "What'm I wearin'?"

"Whatever the hell you want to wear. Don't get in my way and I won't spear you. Deal?"

"Deal." The two men went opposite ways with unspoken promise to meet one another in front of Sephiroth's office. Where else would they go?


	4. Vacation Time

"MY BALLS ARE FUCKIN' FREEZIN'!"

Sephiroth turned and glared at Reno as he danced around in the snow near their aircraft, clutching his manhood like it was going to freeze and drop off. "Excuse me? Can you at least attempt to be halfway civilized?"

"Can ya at least pretend t'be at least halfway straight, yo?"

Shoving down the urge to kill, Sephiroth turned and plodded his way through the snow and toward Icicle Inn, ignoring the various stares and whispers all around him. People knew of the Great General and there was much talk of fear and hesitation about him being there. He ignored it all, though. He was there to do a job and do it he would, by damn. Sephiroth stepped into the inn itself and walked up to the counter. "Two rooms, booked for Sephiroth and a Turk?"

The receptionist, a pimply teenager, looked up at the general and sighed. "Chhhh...yeaaaah... Y'see..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "We only have one room left. And see...I'm really really sorry...but it happened on short notice... See...we had a lot of hunters coming through...and see, they got all the rooms...and see-"

"No...wait... You mean...we'll be SHARING a room?"

"Yeaaaaaaaah, see-"

"Say see one more time and I'll... Ahem. Are you sure there isn't another room?"

"I'm very sorry sir."

"Whatever. Give me the key." He snatched it from the teenager and swished off toward the stairs. "Just fucking great. I have to deal with an idiot not only outside of my quarters, but also INSIDE." He glanced back at Reno, who had his pants unzipped and his hips angled toward the fire to warm the contents of his package. "Don't EVEN think you're sleeping in the bed with me."

"Awww... Sephy feels a threat t'his manhood, yo. Ya ain't felt threatened yet. I'll rape ya in your sleep."

"I'm sure everyone would love to see a Reno-kabob, too. Come on. If you're not in the room when I get there, I'm locking you out."

Reno snorted. "Yeah, right." He continued warming until he heard the door slam upstairs. He hurried up there in curiosity, arriving just in time to hear the click of Sephiroth throwing the deadbolt. "Son of a bitch."

***

Sephiroth sighed. He was putting up with many many things that got on his nerves and so far he hadn't cracked or lost his temper more than once. However, this was a travesty. Reno was sprawled out next to Sephiroth, spreadeagle on the bed, snoring like he was trying to wake the dead. The silver-haired one pushed, shoved, jerked, smacked, shook, and otherwise did everything in his power to wake him up, but it was like the Turk was dead. Either dead or trying very hard to get on his nerves. No matter.

He slid off of the bed and padded over to the window to look out. He was thankful for the warmth, as just looking outside of the inn it was miserable. Snow, snow, and more snow, it was falling from the sky and being tossed around down below by the teenagers that had sneaked out of their homes to play in it late at night. The general took a deep breath and let it out, then looked over his shoulder at his companion. "So irritating... Sometimes I wonder why I put up with this? It's not for the pay." He turned around and took a seat on the windowsill, picking up his brush and mirror.

His hair had started growing out slightly, mostly due to the mako injections that he'd taken long ago. It was almost to his shoulderblades in even that short amount of time and was growing everyday. Still, he was angry about it being cut. Reno had had no right, and he still had every intention of making the redhead pay for what he'd done. He placed the brush down and watched the Turk, taking another deep breath and letting it out through his teeth in a hiss. "Somehow... Somewhere.... Someday, he will pay. Just...how?" Sephy would figure that out soon enough.


	5. Travesty and Triumph

Sometimes opportunities were just too golden to pass up. He would snatch them wherever he saw them and make damn sure that no one caught him. If he was caught, what would be the point and the fun in doing the thieving in the first place? Sephiroth watched Reno fiddle around with his weapons and ammunition as he buttoned up his military jacket. He watched the Turk set the EMR down on the table and head toward the bathroom.

That was when the golden opportunity struck him like a silver hammer on dreams of man. He snagged the EMR, cranked the bastard wide open to the highest setting, then quickly placed it back down on the table.

Reno sauntered out of the bathroom with a smirk on his face. Seph passed him to head in himself, slamming the door. Seph sighed and happily took a seat on the toilet to handle his business when he heard a very high-pitched yelping like a dog was being fr-... "Oh yeah... He is being fried..." and heard a loud thump as Reno hit the floor.

"BAAAAAAASTAAARD, YO! I HOPE YOUR SKIN RIPS OFF, YOU SORRY SON OF A BITCH!"

"And why would it?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow with a slight smirk. ...Then he felt it. Jerk. Jerk jerk jerk. Sephy tried to get up, but alas. The Great General Sephiroth, Hero of the Wutai War and Champion of Midgar was superglued to the toilet seat with his pants and underwear down and his business hanging out. "Good goddess... I HATE YOU!"

***

Sephiroth wondered sometimes why people loved to torture him. Was it because of his long, luxur-... Oh wait, he didn't have long, luxurious hair any longer. Was it because he was always a lon-... Oh, he wasn't a loner any longer for the most part as he always had a redhead tagging in behind him, right? It might've been because he was dangerous... Yes, that was it. He had a redhead and he didn't have long hair anymore, but he was still dangerous, right?

Well, the pictures had gotten out about the little escapade at Icicle Inn. ShinRa had had a field day convincing people that it was all a hoax and just an actor dressed up, glued to a toilet seat with his goodies hanging out, but there was no such luck of making everyone believe such a thing. And Reno? Oh, he was still crowing about it. Here and there and everywhere, laughing and squatting as if he were taking a dump on top of a toilet. Sephiroth had plans for him, but he just had to figure out a way to pull them off.

***

Little did he know, people had plans for him and Reno as well. Phinneaus ShinRa glared at Rufus ShinRa. "You know, they both embarrassed us greatly. People are already growing suspicious of our activities around the world and then we have your class clown of a Turk acting up outside of our boundaries and our general with him. You'll make him stop and you'll make him stop right now, or so help me... you won't have a redhead left."

Rufus eyed his father coldly and adjusted in his seat. "Well, you know how Reno is. You just can't control a wild fire, can you?"

"Control it or I'll douse the wild fire. Got it?"

"Whatever, father." Rufus stood and tramped out of the door.

***

"What do ya MEAN my pay's bein' DOCKED?! THAT AIN'T FAIR!" Reno stamped around Rufus's office, bitching and whining and moaning for what seemed to be ages. Rufus just watched him calmly between signatures, sipping a cup of tea as he flicked through some paperwork. "Ya know I gotta have that shit to make rent!"

"Get an extension on your rent, but until I see at least a week of good behavior, you won't get paid. Do you understand, Turk?"

"Yeah, yeah, what the fuck ever. Go straight t'hell and die about sixty million zillion trillion freakin' times. Sadistic bastard..." He turned and wandered out, slamming the door.

Rufus smiled to himself. "Turks are like children. Discipline them well and they do what you want them to do. Let them run wild and they never learn their lesson." He frowned as his pen quit and he started shaking it.

***

Sephiroth found himself quite gleeful. He peered over his own stack of paperwork at the moping Turk and tilted his head. "What's the matter? No money?" He could faintly hear Reno's stomach grumbling, but didn't even see him shift an inch. "You know, he's right. Your behavior is quite ridiculous, and if it were me, you wouldn't have even been allowed near a paperclip, muchless a loaded weapon."

"Would'ja just can it and do whatever the hell it is ya do, yo? I'm tryin' to ignore ya here, but you blab too much."

"Someone's testy. What's the matter? Scared of losing money? And here I thought Turks were paid VERY well."

"We're paid well enough but my rent's real expensive. And I gotta eat sometime. Ain't everybody like you, survive on a piece of fuckin' lettuce, yo." He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and started lighting one.

Sephiroth flicked on a fan at the corner of his desk and turned it at Reno to blow the smoke away. "Well you know, I eat more than lettuce, but you have a point. Oh well, guess you'll just starve. No way you can behave for a week."

The redhead glared. "What'cha wanna bet?"

"Name your wager."

"If I get my pay after all this shit's over, you gotta double it."

"Double your pay? Drop in the bucket. So what?"

"So what nothin', big shot. Triple then."

"Fine, triple. What if you don't?"

"I'll do whatever ya want me t'do."

"That can be determined at a later date, can't it?" Sephiroth smiled and looked at his watch. "It will be. I have a meeting to attend and I believe you're sitting in on it. Rufus is there as well. Double duty. Who would you rather take a bullet for? Your faithful vice president or your office mate?"

"Neither one'a you bastards. I'll piss on your graves when you're gone, too yo." He smiled and got up to follow Sephiroth, feeling a slight fondness for the smile he'd reciprocated before they left the office.


	6. Phones and Live Wires

The bet was proving to be harder than he'd ever known. Reno sighed as he sat in front of Sephiroth's desk, eyeing leaflet after leaflet of paperwork that was passed by. He hadn't been looked at for the past two hours, and anyone that knew Reno knew he didn't like to be ignored. But ignored he was. So, he pulled out his phone and started diddling with the applications on it. What else was there to do?

"Stop that this instant."

"Or you'll do what, yo? Spank me?"

"I'll report your happy ass to Rufus."

"For usin' my phone?"

"You're being unproductive."

"Whatever. You're a fuckin' slavemaster, yo." And so he continued playing on the phone...until a flash of a hand reached out and snagged it away. "HEY!"

Sephiroth smiled and turned his back to Reno as the redhead hopped up and over the desk, clinging to his back. "Well, look at what we have here... A lot of nice wallpapers."

"Give. It. BACK!" And so the struggle ensued. Papers flew everywhere, pen went north and stuck in the ceiling, and two men rolled into the floor, struggling over a cell phone. Until it broke. Reno stopped, sitting up on Sephiroth's stomach and nearly cried. He held the top piece of the phone as the bottom piece was dangling by a single wire, plastic broken cleanly where it folded. "I **HAAAAATE** you yo!" He looked at the still bright light and sniffled. "I hate you! I just got this phone! Rufus is gonna KILL me!"

"I told you to put it up..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He tried to make Sephiroth eat the papers around them, but it only resulted in laughter as the redhead was deposited in the chair and things were collected.

***

"It still works a little, yo." Reno was nothing if not a Turk that could improvise. He'd taken to carrying his cell phone in his jacket pocket, open and with the backlight turned off unless he pressed the button on the side. He hadn't even known it had that option until he'd been pressed to find it. "See, ya press the button with the pencil tied to it and ya can still talk, it just ain't as loud. I got some'a the wires taped back together."

Rude stared for a moment, swallowed his first bite of lunch, then sighed. "Why not just tell Rufus you need a new phone?"

"He'll bitch at me and dock my pay! I am NOT losin' to Sephiroth, yo. I really need my paycheck...and I can't give 'im the gloatin' rights, yo. I just can't... I can't stand that bastard. Ain't no tellin' what he'd make me do." He put the cobbled-together phone back in his pocket and sighed. "I'll take it as it comes, yo."

***

Reno found out just what a living hell actually was. Sephiroth had been drafted to go on a basic mission for the notoriety sake, so Reno had to accompany them. Sitting in the back of a military truck with about a dozen soldiers, a surly general, and a few racks of blades and ammunition tested his mettle. He didn't want to be there, everyone knew he didn't want to be there, and everyone seemed to be trying to make it worse than it was.

One of the little pricks leaned over and grinned at Reno. "Y'know what General Sephiroth does to Turks, right? The last one that followed him around… They still haven't found his body."

Reno took his pack of cigarettes out and tapped it against his leg, slid one out and lit it. He blew the smoke in the SOLDIER's face as he thought on his answer for a moment. "I stack dead shits like you five high when I'm workin'. Don't fuck with me. I make kids disappear…"

"You're too scrawny. You couldn't make ME disappear."

"That's what the last one said, too. 'Fore I blew his fuckin' forehead off. Y'know where he is now?"

The boy looked perplexed. "Six feet under?"

"Nah, sittin' in a Convalescent home droolin'. When ya get older, ya learn death ain't the worst ya can come up on, yo. So keep talkin'. I'll make it so ya gotta shit in a diaper for the rest'a your life."

Silence fell over the entire truck. Reno caught Sephiroth as he was looking away, but he could've sworn he saw an upturned smile in the process.

***

The mission was exhausting. They were to kill the monsters they couldn't extract as experiments and dispose of the populace that had been bitten due to a virus transmitted. Reno was feeling green by the time he trudged himself back to the truck to sit down. He had nothing left in his stomach, nothing left to think about except a shower and a bed. He expected to hear some punk SOLDIER kid walking up behind him and sitting, but he recognized the footsteps. He'd heard them far too many times over the past few days. Clunk…clunk…clunk. Sephiroth sat down beside Reno, leaning Masamune against his leg.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Sephiroth broke it. "I figured a man with a job as bloody as yours would find this easy."

Reno tapped the last cigarette out of his pack and lit it, thinking on that. "Well I ain't used t'shootin' kids. Sure they couldn't've been saved, yo?"

"The scientists did the examinations of the last populace. There was nothing to do but put them out of their misery. They knew nothing of what was happening anyway. It's hopeful that they can find a cure now due to the fact we captured some of the beasts. They've previously evaded capture, so with this perhaps it won't have to happen again."

Reno was silent for a few moments as he thought back on the events of the day. "How ya do it without thinkin'?"

"I think. It just gets easier the more you do it and the more that you realize that these people aren't really people any longer. As I said before, they don't even know who they are anymore, don't know what you are. Well, they do. You're a meal to them."

Reno thought back on all of the B horror movies he'd seen over the previous years of his life and snorted humorlessly. "Like…some kinda zombies."

"That's right." When he placed his hand on Reno's shoulder, it surprised the Turk. "We gave them mercy. Don't feel bad. You did a good thing." The words sounded awkward because of course Reno knew that Sephiroth probably wasn't used to comforting. His men took things as they were and did what they were told. That was their job. For him to extend such a considerate explanation of things really made Reno appreciate his mindset.

"I guess. Just…feel better when I get home, yo."

"We all will. Don't worry. Alcohol makes you forget."

"I s'pose." He felt a little better about Sephiroth. Maybe the week wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe the rest of the ordeal wouldn't be as bad. Right?


	7. Epiphany

Reno was finding it harder and harder to get time with his friends. Rude and Elena and Tseng were the only ones he could find time for, and really that was just because he was working when he wasn't spending time guarding Sephiroth's pampered behind. He sighed as he sat around the table with Elena and Rude after hours, talking about what was going on. "Just… Kids an' women an' shit, yo. We killed 'em all."

Rude pondered on that for a few moments before taking a drink of his beer, one from a six pack that Reno had smuggled in that same morning and stowed in the company refrigerator. No one questioned the Turks. …Except Rufus. Not like he cared. "Well… Sephiroth did say that that was the most merciful thing to do, correct?"

"Yeah, that's what he said, yo. I dunno though. I still feel guilty."

"Well, shit happens, partner. That's the thing about being with ShinRa." He took another sip. "Sometimes you gotta do what you don't wanna do." He looked at his watch and sighed. "I have a mission early tomorrow morning, so I have to get. I'll see you two tomorrow, huh? Unless you're doing some more silver babysitting, Red." He grinned and tossed the empty can away and hurried out.

Elena watched Rude get up and walk out and then turned to Reno. "So… He kind of consoled you, huh?"

Reno cracked open another beer. "Yeah, really surprised the shit outta me, yo. Ya wouldn't think Sephiroth would have feelin's, but he was real nice about it. Nicer'n I expected him to be, yo." He took a long drink as Elena stewed over it.

"Well… I think you two are getting close." And he almost spewed his beer before she got another sentence out. "You spend an awfully long time together, and it's like you two are getting to know each other better and better."

He choked on the beer and swallowed it, sputtering. "Ya mean, ya think we got crushes on each other?"

"I don't know, you're the only one that knows that for sure or not, but you two sure do stay around each other a lot, even outside of missions now. You're always in front of his desk, always talking about how much you hate him. These days hate is another word for love." She drank a little bit of her own beer, the first time she'd touched it, and gagged. "I don't see how you drink this. Tastes just like I imagine cow piss to."

He ignored what she thought of his tastes and thought about Sephiroth. …Was she right? Perhaps…and maybe not. Who knew? He didn't anymore. "I don't understand, yo. Why would we begin to even think 'bout somethin' like that when we ain't even got nothin' in common?"

Elena nursed the can of piss as she thought on that. "Well they say that opposites attract, and if you two aren't opposites, then Rufus isn't blonde. You're redheaded, he's silver-haired… He's tall, you're…well, you're not short, but you're shorter. You're a Turk and he's a SOLDIER and don't they say we're all supposed to be mortal enemies?"

"More like a rivalry, yo."

"Whatever, you know what I'm saying. Opposites attract, and then when I think about it… You prefer things that are dangerous. You like bombs, you like choppers, you like guns, you like everything like that, so why wouldn't you like something that is snuggly and sharp to curl up with at night?"

"What'cha mean curl up with at night?"

"You know, cuddle, kiss, nuv. Nuuuuuuuuuv. You want Sephiroth to be your girlfriend… or either you're going to be his bitch. Which is it going to be?"

"You know what, yo? Fuck you Leney." He stood up, crunched his empty can and walked out. …But he couldn't help but wonder…was she right? NEVER!


	8. Let's Get Crackin!

Reno was wrong about the ordeal not being as bad the rest of the week due to Sephiroth's earlier kindness. In fact, he could've sworn that he'd died, been judged, and been sent straight to his own private fiery chasm in HELL. See, Reno didn't exactly mind being Sephiroth's assistant in things of the nature, but when it came to having a foam suit duct taped around his limbs and a helmet plunked on top of his head for training practice, he just about drew the line. In front of him, Sephiroth explained to the SOLDIERs in training just what they were going to do.

"As you go through the steps of training, you will encounter a lot of different obstacles. You're just starting, so this is simple, but not everyone is going to be as still as our willing opponent here." He tapped a hand down on top of the helmet and Reno shot him a withering look. "Our beautiful assistant here has gladly volunteered to allow us to whip the foam off of his proverbial ass. So, try out your styles, try not to kill him, and I'll grade you on your scores." The SOLDIERs all leered at Reno as if he were a piece of meat, though it wasn't the same type of look that he usually got. No…this was a predatory look, one of depraved violence. They were all teenagers, and something inside the Turk told him that none of them were Zack-types.

"Uh? General? What if we kill him?" A pimply-faced teenager in the back that had a bit too much muscle for Reno's liking had his hand raised in question.

Sephiroth looked up from his clipboard and pen and then at Reno, who was shooting him a frantic look of fear. "Well, that's the objective. TRY not to kill him. Accidents do happen of course. Next question?"

A girl in the back raised her hand, then quickly lowered it under the green gaze. "If he's so willing, how come his eyes are as round as dinner plates?"

"We're SOLDIERs. He's in awe of the mighty might and power that we exude, miss. That's what you have to remember, we're SOLDIERs. We don't go around wearing suits and showing off guns like Turks." He smirked at Reno. "We step into a room and people fear us. I can almost guarantee you that our willing participant will have peed his pants by the time this is over."

Another girl in the back raised her hand. "Sir, is the foam going to protect the target thoroughly?"

"I 'unno. Haven't tested it properly." Reno almost let out a high pitched squeal from the information, but the clap of Sephiroth's hand on the helmet drowned it out. "Enough questions, now we're going to get started." He took Reno's foam-covered hand and led him out toward a designated taped off area that was about one hundred feet from the little crowd of new recruits. He leaned in close and smiled. "Okay, you stand here, waddle around some if you see that they're not getting enough training, try not to scream or shit yourself. Let's make this as clean and neat as possible, alright?" He ignored the look of anger that Reno shot him and walked off.

The training was harsh and Reno could've promised someone that the silver-haired one had made it such on purpose. He was whipped around so many times by the wooden poles used that he could've sworn that he was going to get a torn ligament or something somewhere. The foam did its job for protecting, but the only problem was the seams that left a few areas exposed, mostly where the joints were. He'd been promised that the trainees wouldn't hit below the belt because really they'd run out of foam and duct tape at the last moment and that had been a true worry. Especially when he'd seen the women coming at him. _Chicks are mean, yo. They'll pummel 'em off and then have 'em gilded and have 'em mounted as hood ornaments if ya let 'em. This ain't safe… Sephiroth…save me. Leney was WRONG. Wrong wrong wrong wron-_ A strong surge of pain interrupted his thoughts. He looked into the shining mako eyes of a girl no taller than his chest. Then he realized why. He was hunched over despite the bulk of the foam padding, holding his nuts as if they were babies newly exposed to the world. And then…blackness.

***

Reno could've sworn they did it on purpose, but he didn't know. He just remembered that he felt a sharp pain in his shin, then one in his groin before he was on the ground seeing black spots in the sky. Sephiroth was standing over him as well as two girls and about eight young men, trying to figure out if he was dead or alive. So he gurgled to let them know that he was quite lively even if he thought he wanted to die. "…Booze. I demand booze."

"Uh…sir? I didn't mean to."

Sephiroth checked something on his clipboard. "Don't worry, it'll grow back. Good aim, Nucah. I have just the weapon thought of for you." And not much to Reno's shock, the lesson went on, but he moved on to the weapon selection. He just plopped his head back down and cried.

***

Elena sighed. "I'm sure it was an accident."

Reno nursed the bottle of whiskey as he sat spread-legged on a comfortable office chair. "The fucker did it on PURPOSE. He sent them girls after me on PURPOSE. All men know women are evil bitches that wanna …wanna…" He sniffled and gestured to the ice sitting on his crotch, halfway melted.

The blonde woman rolled her eyes. "Oh stop being so overly dramatic. Take your pity party somewhere else if you don't want to listen."

"Look, getting' hit in the nuts is like a woman gettin'…well there ain't nothin' like it on a woman cuz ya just DON'T have the same thing!"

"Well you would be surprised. I've been hit in the breast before and it hurt like hell."

"Leney, that ain't the same! I've been hit in the titty before too, but ya didn't see me passin' out over that shit. I bet if I kick ya in the crotch ya don't scream like a girl and fall over."

She sighed and snagged the bottle, poured some of the whiskey in her glass and swirled it around before drinking it. "Anyway, whatever. I think you're being over dramatic. He probably didn't think that any of them would hurt you. Women aren't just OUT to get you. You just think they are. You're crazy like that."

"Whatever. Rude's gonna laugh his fuckin' head off at this shit."

"I think you need to talk to Sephiroth and tell him that you don't appreciate that treatment and to please not put you on something like that again."

"Shit, you talk to Sephiroth and tell 'im that, I ain't doin' NOTHIN' else for that depraved bastard, yo."

"Whatever, your pay not mine."

Reno shut his mouth, glared at Elena, and then got up and took the bottle.

"Hey! I was drinking that!"

"Go get your own booze, psychology girl. I got some nuts to ice, yo." He wandered out of the room, or rather waddled, and left Elena sulking and peering at her empty glass.

"Bastard. Hope they fall off." The door slammed and she drew some amusement from hearing him limp down the hall.


	9. Painful Lace

There were many ways that Reno could envision spending his Saturday. Helping Sephiroth answer fan mail was NOT one of them. He sighed as he leaned against the silver one's desk, scribbling doodles with his pen. Sephiroth didn't seem too intent on what he was working on, but Rufus had insisted on it due to the pile up that had formed in the company post office. He peered down at the letter he was trying to nurse his way through, through all the 'love's and the 'marry's and the 'kids's. It was enough to make him want to throw up…and he realized it was for reasons that made him rather uncomfortable. He doodled a cartoon ass on the paper, folded it and put it aside to mail off to the fortunate woman as he picked up another. It was a thicker, padded package that he actually looked forward to opening. "Do they ever send ya cookies, yo?"

Sephiroth looked up from his window gazing and peered at him. He had his hair in a ponytail on that particular day, looked stunning even though Reno didn't want to admit it. _All he needs is a pair'a earrings… He'd look just like a g-… Stop thinkin' about that, yo! He's just a guy…an evil guy, he's a BITCH._ He held his breath until Sephiroth took notice of the package in his hand.

"I wouldn't open that if I were you." He then turned his head and looked out of the window again, strangely detached from the entire process…as if his mind was on something entirely opposite of what they were doing. Not that he could blame him. It was creepy in Reno's mind to get mail from strangers he didn't even know wanting to claim his first born child as their own. However, it seemed that Sephy had something on his mind that he wasn't particularly inclined to share. Therefore, Reno was left with the gnawing curiosity about what was in the package. And soon…he couldn't contain it any longer.

He drew the letter opener up and slit a hole in the package and all manner of unhappy things happened at once. A huge pair of red and black lace underwear fell out of the package along with the picture of a woman in her fifties. "Holy…LIVING…SCREAMING…FUCKING SHIT! OH MY GODDESS!"

Sephiroth just looked over and shook his head. "I told you so."

"Shut the fuck up, yo!"

***

Reno decided that it just wasn't his week. From panties to lunch to an outing with the great general, it was hard to do things and just be a Turk without all of the hassle. He had already learned why Sephiroth was who he was…first of all, he was good at fighting, second of all, he was very recognizable, third of all, people thought he was beautiful. That made a person in the modern days, right?

Sephiroth sighed as Reno lagged behind. "You know, you slow me down. I don't know why Rufus continues to insist that I drag you along like a miserable dog."

"I ain't no fuckin' dog, you bastard, and he wants me to follow your sorry carcass around cuz he's scared ya might shit without somebody knowin' about it. Or somebody is. I dunno, but I think ya can take care'a your own damn self, yo." He flicked out a cigarette and lit it, got a rude look from the lady tending to Sephiroth's order in the line for leather repair. It was strange, Reno had never known that they had such a thing. He'd just assumed Sephiroth had bought some type of cheap uniform from a bondage store somewhere, but lo and behold, it was actually from a reputable dealer.

"Sir…could you put that out in here? There are people that are allergic to cigarette smoke, plus you might start a fire."

Reno gave her a look that kind of made her shift in her spot. "You're tellin' me that ya want me to put out my cigarette for everybody else, yo?"

Sephiroth shot Reno a look that sent ice through his veins. "Put it out or I'll put you out." The cigarette disappeared so fast that the smoke could've been steam from his breath had the thermostat in the store been too low. "Now, ma'am, what were you saying?"

The woman shot them both an odd look and then went back to trying to help them when all of a sudden, a high-pitched screech was heard somewhere in their six o'clock vicinity. They all turned and spotted a band of young women, probably anywhere between sixteen and eighty, pointing and squealing. And Reno could guess who they were squealing over. It was times like that one that he really wished that he wasn't a Turk. He thought better of it for a moment, but then thoughts of Rufus swam in his head. He took a step right in front of the general and cleared his throat. As if they saw him. The women bum rushed both the general and the Turk, enveloping them in a sea of estrogen and squeals. Sephiroth blinked, didn't quite know what to do with himself at first, but just started walking. Reno was trampled somewhere in the mix-up, left behind as the band of women flowed in behind the warrior.

The redhead whimpered as he tried to determine if any of his limbs were broken or if he was even alive. "Sometimes I wish I was dead, yo… This is some fuckin' bullshit…" He flopped face-down on the floor and groaned as Sephiroth signed autographs.

***

Elena peered at Reno, tapping her fingertips against her temple. She tried to not laugh, tried to see the bright side of things, tried to make him see the bright side of things. "Well… You kind of protected Sephiroth. I mean, you shielded him from the onslaught, right?"

"That don't make up for my main arm bein' in a sling, yo."

"Oh stop being overly dramatic, Reno. Accidents happen…"

"Accidents follow that silver bastard no matter where he goes, yo! And y'know, the accidents only seem to happen to me! I'm tellin' ya Leney, he's cursed. And it ain't the kinda curse where the cursed is plagued with shit that they don't want, it's the kinda curse where the cursed is plagued with shit that effects the folks that are tryin' to PROTECT him!"

"Reno, you know why Rufus chose you out of all of the people that could've been guarding Sephiroth?"

"Why?"

"He thought you could do the best job. He trusts you with his all, all of his pretty white suit. If you think that he put you there to just be in danger and in the way, you're wrong mister. Or do you not have faith in Rufus? We have to BELIEVE in him…we have to believe in what he's doing, what he's saying, wh-"

"Stop feedin' me a pack'a bullshit and pass me another shot'a whiskey, yo. My head hurts."

Elena smiled at him and poured him a shot, gave it to him. "I know you like him. Stop acting like you would keep going back if it were just over money."

"It ain't over money, it's about pride and-"

"And what?"

"I dunno, but it ain't over what you're thinkin' it is. If I let him go without doin' my job right, everybody's gonna look at me like I'm a pansy, yo. I done spent too many years at this place doing everything I can to make my reputation the way it is and I ain't givin' it up over some over-pampered, high-priced pretty boy."

"You think he's pretty."

"Well yeah, who ever said he wasn't? That's why ever woman in the world wants to rape him and truth be told, you're prolly mad cuz ya wasn't put on the case to do it."

"Nah. I have someone that I'm interested in."

"Tseng?" He watched a smile spread slightly across her face. "I see. Well, good luck with diggin' the stick outta his ass and makin' him relax." He passed her the shot glass for another hit. "I heard Rufus was datin' Rude on the side. And I didn't hear it from neither one of them."

"That's old news. They're dating and have been under the table for about a month or so. I think it's really sweet. Rude kind of looks after him, even though Rufus doesn't think that he needs anyone to look after him. But you know how that is. They both needed someone and I can't think of anyone better to be with Rufus that wouldn't take advantage of him."

Reno knocked the new shot of whiskey down and nodded. "Gotta give ya that, yo. Ain't nobody else better for each other than them two."

"You'd be good for Sephiroth."

"Ya done Leney? I dun wanna lose what little dinner I got t'have."

"Admit it. You love him. Or you wouldn't smile when someone mentioned him being in the news. Again."

"That's right, again. I see the irony in the shit, yo. Ya can never get too damn famous."

"Whatever, Reno." She smiled and took a drink of the whiskey.

Reno snorted. "Whatever, Leney."


	10. Forced Invitation

"C'mon! It's just going to be the …" Elena counted on her fingers. Rude, Reno, Rufus, Tseng, and herself. Five! That's right, five. "It's going to be five people joining you over at your apartment."

Sephiroth sighed. "And why does it have to be my apartment? Why can't it be someone like Reno's apartment? He's better set up for functions of the nature."

"Well, Reno's apartment is so small that all of us couldn't fit in well. Plus it stinks. You don't want to go into Reno's apartment, trust me. I know yours is big. You're a SOLDIER and you're a general, so I know your quarters are MUCH bigger. C'mon, what could it hurt?"

Sephiroth sat his pen down and eyed the blonde one. He knew everything that it could hurt. His apartment was very sparsely furnished with a modern look. He kept the central cooling on most of the time, so it was a very sanitary 60 degrees at all times. It was much like a hospital…or a laboratory setting. Hey, he was used to it, so why not? "I don't have enough furniture for everyone to sit."

"So we'll buy folding chairs. Come on, Reno's been looking forward to this!" Well, Reno didn't really know about it, but what he didn't know until the last minute wouldn't hurt him, right? "You need to have a little fun, general. It's not going to kill you unless you drink too much."

"That's true, and I can never drink too much." Not that he'd had all that much to drink lately. He knew that it was well overdue for some fun. Ever since his two best friends had gone over to the other side, he had immersed himself in work, trying to forget. It was probably high time for him to have some fun, but did he really want them there at his apartment? "You're going to trash my apartment and I really don't appreciate that."

"So after we're all sober, we'll help you clean up. I can work a mean mop, I swear." She leaned over the desk and batted her eyes at him. "Come on, Sephy! You HAVE to do this. Reno…think about Reno… Ooh! You could even order HIM to clean up! Isn't that enticing?"

Yes, yes it was. It intrigued Sephiroth that it was as enticing as it was, but he wanted to…he wanted to have them all over simply for the fact he could watch the redhead bend over and pick up garbage. Sephiroth decided he was going to find himself a good psychiatrist and go religiously. In the meantime, however… "Fine. You Turks and one President shall come over to my home tomorrow evening at five."

"Good, good! We have a system with this, see. Each of us brings two bottles. That way we have some left over for next time. It's great isn't it?"

Sephiroth perked a well-arched brow. "I have a feeling that you were introduced to the idea and it's not native to your understanding?"

"Well, they teach you how to be a Turk. You're not one from birth, so I guess you're right. Whatever. I think I fit in pretty well. Anyway, see you tomorrow!" She waved at the general and bounced out.

Sephiroth slowly shook his head. "…You fit in well alright. You manipulate better than most, though." He sighed and got absorbed in his paperwork once more, unable to stop thinking about a redhead in street clothing. He pulled out his phone book and started flipping through the P's in irritation.

***

"I 'unno 'bout this Leney. Sephiroth actually agreed to the shit, yo?" He blew some smoke out into the air as he leaned against the building. He would've been smoking indoors, but the last time Rufus had caught him, he'd lost about three days worth of paycheck. "He don't seem the type to just drop things and drink with normal folks."

Elena gave him a look. "Normal? Reno, have you fallen and bumped your head? Come on now. SOLDIERs and Turks aren't that different. We both kill things, we both follow Rufus, and we both know that some things in this company are a crock of bullshit. I think you need to stand up and have fun with Sephiroth. He doesn't have many people anymore, and you might be really important to him sooner or later. You spend a lot of time together…so I figure…hey, why not?"

Reno thought about that and sighed. Well, he **had** been thinking an awful lot about Sephiroth the past few days, and he had secretly wondered what it would be like to actually become his friend. Maybe it was time? He didn't know. "Guess it couldn't hurt nothin'. Y'know he don't decorate, right?"

"He told me. We're going to take some folding chairs. I've already talked to Rufus about it and he's got some lined up already, those nice padded ones that we take when he's going on one of those outside events?"

"Yeah, I know the ones." He flicked the cigarette butt down and ground it under his heel. "What'cha got in this, Leney? Why're ya tryin' t'push me and Sephiroth together?"

Elena fidgeted with her sleeve, trying to figure that out herself. Reno was annoying. He was always either gluing something to her desk, stapling something to her ceiling, or locking her out of her own office. She didn't know why…but… She felt compelled. "Because you're family and I want to make sure that you're happy. Turks don't have a very long lifespan, and I figure that we should be happy with what little bit of life that we have, even as we're giving it to the corporates."

Reno thought about that for a moment and nodded. He was satisfied with the answer, even though he felt awkward about it. Family… He supposed they were family. They hid one another's secrets, always covered for a fellow Turk, and they all had the task of taking care of Rufus, had ever since he'd entered the company. "I s'pose you're right. Well, count me in, yo. We doin' the booze thing?"

"Yep. Told Sephiroth that we're each bringing two bottles."

"'Kay, I still got a bottle left from last time, yo. I think that'll do with me buyin' another."

"Okay. So…tomorrow at five."

"Got it."

***

Sephiroth didn't look forward to it as much as he thought he would. He was extremely nervous, very hesitant, horribly tempted to call Elena and tell her he had a mission. But Rufus would know it was a lie. He would tell Elena and he would likely offend every one of the Turks, which just wouldn't do. It never did to offend those that were most on one's side when things went wrong. Therefore, Sephiroth was setting up the table and the chairs that had been delivered to his office, eyeing the clock. It was almost five o'clock, and he didn't know just what to expect.

The bell rang at five sharp and he answered it, not too surprised to see that it was Tseng with Elena. He'd always had an idea that they were an item, but it kind of shocked him that they'd arrived together. Elena smiled brightly. "Hi there! You look all nice and presentable…and you wore the same clothes you always do. Seph, don't you EVER change out of those things?"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "It's not like I sleep in them. I have several suits. It's easier to wash guts off of leather than anything else."

"Do you own jeans?" She watched Tseng pull the bottles out of the bags that they'd brought. Four bottles, as agreed, two for each person.

"Of course I do, I just rarely wear them anymore. I'm always working, so what's the point of wearing street clothing? I'll just have to change right back into my uniform, so I don't really see the purpose. They're way back in my closet."

"Fine, fine. Ooh, I hear Rufus's car. I bet it's Rude driving… Rufus hardly ever drives anymore."

Tseng rolled his eyes. "Elena, you're high strung. Sit down."

"Oh you be quiet." She stuck her tongue out at him and bounced at the window, pointed. "Yep, that's them! And there's Reno's car! YES!"

Sephiroth felt his heart beating really hard as he heard those words. What a night it was going to be…


	11. Sliding On In

There was warmth. Then there was the smell. The unmistakable smell of strawberries, but not the fresh strawberry smell. No, this was sweeter smelling. It smelled like candy strawberry, the kind of cheap shampoo that people bought for a pittance at the grocery store. Sephiroth slowly opened his eyes and saw red. Solid red, yes. Violent red. He started and jerked back, trying to remember what had happened, then figure it out. He was all alone in the apartment with Reno! The other bastards had skipped out and left him there alone.

He took a look around to confirm his memory, but he hadn't really needed to. It was late in the night and there was a mess all around. Cups and bottles and cards were scattered all over his once-pristine apartment and there was a redhead in a stupor lying on his floor. And so…he thought back to the night's events.

***

"Won again, ya bastard." Reno laughed and laid some cards down before picking a bottle up, any random bottle on the table, and took a swig. "Ech. Thought I'd learn which bottle that was by now, yo."

"You should know, you brought the damn bottle, Reno."

They all laughed and had another hand dealt as Sephiroth kind of sulked. He wanted them to leave, but didn't want them to leave. Reno wasn't paying a lot of attention to him, not that he was complaining about that. In fact, he didn't know what he had to complain about besides unwanted company. Perhaps he was just getting too old. Sephiroth reached across the table and snagged a bottle, took a long drink from it.

Reno snagged it out of his hand when he was finished and took a drink after him. "Ya ain't gonna play, yo?"

"I have no interest in paltry games of the sort that you seem to be interested in."

Reno smirked and shook his head. "Cuz you're all high and mighty and kingly and shit. Plus ya probably suck at it."

"I do not."

"Yeah y'do. Let's do a drinkin' game."

"Drinking game? What kind of drinking game?"

"Everytime ya lose a round, ya take a big long swig. We play it all the time. Wanna?"

Sephiroth weighed his options, then decided that he had nothing to lose from it. He didn't know how to play the game that they were going at, but he figured himself a fairly quick learner. He decided to take his chances. "Fine."

***

Eighteen rounds and three bottles of liquor later, Sephiroth felt his head swimming. He could barely make out the numbers on the cards in front of him, and he didn't even know if he was holding them so that none of the other plays could see them anymore. However, it didn't really matter much. The rest were just as drunk as he was, swaying and slurring and trying to figure out how they were going to get home. Except Reno. He hadn't had as much as the rest, but he was loose enough to laugh more than usual.

Sephiroth smirked. "Why are you so good at this game? Are you cheating? What do you think of this? I'm just so pathetic… Getting drunk over a redhead." He lost again and was able to reach over and grab the bottle without tipping it. Two others were passed out on the table, notably Elena and Rufus. Rude was casting looks at Rufus as if he were ready to take him home, get out of there. Tseng was already checking his watch, debating taking Elena home.

Reno grinned. "I'm good at this game cuz me and Rude play it all the time, yo. I ain't gotta cheat, and I think you're just a sucker, yo. Why ya askin' so many questions?"

"Because you interest me, perhaps."

"Interest ya?"

"Why is your hair so red? Why do your eyes glow like mine do? Why are you so scrawny? Do you ever eat?"

"Whoa whoa, slow down. My hair's like this cuz'a mako exposure, just like the eys. I'm scrawny cuz I got a high metabolism and I'm always doin' shit, and I eat plenty, ya just never see me. You're actin' funny. You okay Seph?"

"Just…fine." He felt like he was going to throw up, to be honest, but he wouldn't let Reno know that. He pressed down the ensuing nausea and thought of more questions. "Do you have any family? Where are they? Why are you working for ShinRa when you could've been something else? Did they find you on the streets?"

Reno knew that Sephiroth had never been drunk at that point. "I got family…in the ground. I'm workin' for ShinRa cuz I had hospital bills to pay off, yo. I was found on the streets tryin' to mug a ShinRa worker and Rufus was with 'em. Decided to take me in. Is that all?"

Sephiroth was going to ask another question, but everything went black as he passed out.

***

Ah yes, the silver one remembered. And he knew that they'd skipped out on the little party, left the two alone for some 'bonding' time most likely… Probably Elena's full intentions anyway. So, without further ado, Sephiroth stood from his resting area and kicked him. Reno started and glared at Sephiroth. "What the fuck's your problem, yo?"

"Get up and start cleaning." His head was throbbing and he was in NO mood for the mess and in absolutely no mood for Reno's attitude. "The trash bags are under the kitchen counter. Do it now and do it swiftly. I'm tired."

"Ya oughta be ya stupid bastard, ya hog the bed and talk too damn much when you're drunk."

Sephiroth wheeled around with aspirin in hand and shot him a poisonous look. "This is my bed. You hogged the bed more tha-… how did we get in the bed?" His eyes widened and he took quick inventory of his clothing. Socks, check. Pants, check. He peered down into his pants at his underwear. Check. He let out a sigh of relief and eyed Reno. "Who put us in the bed?"

"Well shit, I didn't wanna sleep on the god damn floor. Ain't never a problem when I fall asleep at Rude's place."

"That's Rude's place. That's not here. This is my bedroom. I don't allow mongrels, so get out."

"But…you was tossin' your arm over me an' all. I was warm. Shit, it felt nice and ya smell pretty damn good."

"OUT! GET OUT! NOW! OUT!" Reno got plucked up by the collar and carried out of the bedroom, deposited roughly in the kitchen floor. "Clean up now. Then leave. Got it?"

"But… I wanna stay! I like it here, yo!"

"CLEAN NOW!" Sephiroth turned on his heel and went to take a shower, leaving a sulking Reno in the floor.

***

Reno didn't follow instructions well. Two hours later, he was sitting on Sephiroth's sofa, watching TV. Sephiroth sighed and watched him, having had time to calm down. He took inventory of their surroundings and nodded. "Fine. You can stay, but don't mess anything up, got it?"

"Perfectly crystal clear, yo."

"You won't be here all the time."

"Ain't plannin' on it. Just a place to hang out when I'm skippin' out on work."

"… Fine. Don't feel comfortable."

"Feels like I was born here, yo."

"Well you weren't."


	12. Press Start

Reno didn't know what hit him. He coughed sharply as he held onto his stomach. Blood was dripping down his front, pooling. His hands were slippery with blood and he was trying to make sense of it all. The mission wasn't supposed to be hard, but it seems that the information that came along with the paper was out of sync with the actuality of the situation. He gagged and leaned back against a partition in the wall, peering down. "Seph's gonna kill me, yo."

That shocked him. _Seph's gonna kill me… Why'm I worried 'bout what he fuckin' thinks? Why's it matter, yo? Shit. I got it all wrong._ He took a momentary pause to think back about the last couple of months that he and the General had become roommates.

***

"Don't think you're putting your trash in here and displacing my antiques."

Reno eyed Sephiroth and smirked. "I ain't gonna throw your ol' dusty shit out, I'm just kinda movin' stuff over t'make room for my junk."

"Your junk has no place here."

"You're the one that asked me t'move in, yo."

"And you're the one that grows on the wall like mold. I figured letting you stay here would keep you from barging in in the morning and nearly getting masamune gouged through your gut every time. That's not good for my blood pressure either. Remember that if I mess the carpet up, it comes out of my paycheck."

"How ya gonna mess the carpet up?"

"Even dogs bleed, Reno." He smiled and wandered away as Reno started to seeth.

The weeks had passed quickly and things had become quite casual around the household that they shared, and they'd even started to kind of gravitate toward one another. Even the chores were set by who liked doing what. Days and weeks blurred by and they'd even become friendlier toward one another; it had turned into something that Reno suspected deep down was slightly more than a friendship.

However, that didn't mean either man would admit it.

***

Sephiroth sighed and shook his head as he peered down at Reno, lounged on the sofa. "Your face is as red as your hair, Reno."

He opened a bloodshot eye and peered up at the general. "I feel like I been run through a washin' machine an' left layin' in the bottom all broke up."

Sephiroth peeled off a glove and placed the back of his hand against Reno's forehead. "I think you're sick."

"I think you're the smartest bastard in the fuckin' world. Ya want a cookie?"

In the past, that question would have caused irritation and glares, but Sephiroth just smiled and flicked the redhead's nose. "I always want cookies. You know that. I'm going to go get the chicken soup and the crackers ready. Do you want tea?"

"Booze, Sephy. Ya drink BOOZE when you're sick."

"Oh, well then that wouldn't be anything different than your usual habit, now would it?"

***

Reno leaned against the general as the storm raged outside. He'd had to seek a different sleeping area since the roof was leaking directly over his sofa, but… He'd never expected Sephiroth to offer up his bed to share.

The idea had made Reno's head spin. But he was so glad that he'd been invited.

***

The two men walked through the cool breezes on the upper plate, hands tucked in pockets as they wandered toward the ShinRa building.

"Cold weather we're havin', yo."

"The last time I checked, that was what autumn was known for, Reno. Cold weather."

"Why can'tcha just take shit at face value and agree?"

A crooked smile wound itself across the warrior's face. "Because I'm a sarcastic bastard and I'll never change."

"Please don't. I might not like ya as much, yo." People turned to watch the two men laughing as if they were insane, but the watchees didn't care.

***

"I heard you got knifed last night." Sephiroth peered down at Reno in his hospital bed. "So I figured I might bring you some flowers to break up the dull of the room."

Reno grinned, rubbing at the bandage on his head. "Not only knifed, yo. Mutilated. The bastards stomped me into the fuckin' pavement, and I was with Rude."

Sephiroth tutted and placed the vase of flowers down on his bedside table. "You're going to have to watch your back, red. Someday someone won't be there to save your ass. And if you don't come back, I'll have to reanimate you in some way just so I can kill you again."

Reno laughed. "I'll keep that shit in mind, yo."

***

The last words rang in Reno's mind as he gripped his gun tighter. The look on Sephiroth's face when he'd walked into the room the time he was stabbed was still on freeze-frame in his mind. It had been a split second of horror, perhaps terror, and he didn't want to see it again.

Reno pushed away from the wall and peered around the corner. "Where are ya, y'bastard?" His vision was starting to get darker. "Come out come out, wherever ya are, fucker."

"Right here, redhead." Reno felt a burning hot sensation in his chest. He didn't have time to peer down at it, he just started falling backwards. The man stood over him as his eyes began to close. "Game over. Press start to continue, Turk. You lost."


	13. Sew Buttons

"Reno?" Sephiroth shook him as much as he dared, but…that wasn't saying much. He'd never seen him so pale, never known of him to not have a smartass quip waiting to deliver. He wasn't moving and he was cold, and those two things didn't mix well in anyone's mind, much less the mind of someone that killed regularly. "Reno, wake up."

The nurse frowned over her clipboard. "We don't know when he's going to wake up." Sephiroth looked over at her, head tilted. "We don't even really know if he will wake up." And for once, the general panicked. "He might not make it through the night. His partner found him and he was just going into shock and he hasn't regained consciousness since he's been here. He might not wake up. He's had some head trauma, we suppose before he passed out or either right after. There's really no way of telling what's going to happen."

Sephiroth turned away from the nurse and peered down at his …what was Reno? He didn't even know and he didn't know if Reno had known. There was nothing he could do about it. Sephiroth pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down to wait.

***

Reno opened his eyes…and quickly wished he hadn't. He saw bright lights and then felt the pain. The pain was like knives sticking into the back of his head, like a thousand jackhammers echoing in the back of his noggin. "Reno?" His eyes instinctively snapped open and the jackhammers started all over again from the top. He ignored it, tried to focus on the person he knew was calling his name. Silver slowly swam into focus as well as bright green eyes. It scared him at first, the close proximity of said silver and green eyes. Sephiroth was leaning right over him, nose not too far away from his face. Reno realized just how big his eyes were at that moment, though it held no real significance to anything that was occurring. He figured the medication was causing him to be loopy. He knew it was meds, he knew the hospital smell. "You bastard, you scared me."

"Scared'ya? I didn't know SOLDIERs could be scared, yo."

Sephiroth glared at him and was tempted to hit him, but the heart monitor reminded them where they were again. "They say you'll have to go through some rehabilitation. They don't know what parts of your body were damaged more. I told them you were braindead before the incident, but they thought that was funny."

Reno was glad he didn't lose his sense of humor even in the current situation. "Rehab... Did Rude catch the bastard?"

"Beat him to death. He ran into him as he was coming to see about you. He found you almost dead on the floor. If he hadn't had restore materias, I woul-..we would probably be planning your funeral." The word funeral snapped Reno into reality even more than the jackhammers still pounding in his brain had.

"Funeral?"

"You were in shock, would've died of blood loss. I don't understand all of it, but I know you're very lucky. I would've missed you had you died."

That made Reno's body numb temporarily. "Missed me?"

"Yeah... I would've missed you. You scared me. Who else would do my bidding?"

"Bastard."

***

Reno went home with Sephiroth after about a month of monitoring and little to no smoking. Least to say, he wasn't the most pleasant roommate, but he was manageable. Sephiroth helped him into the apartment and collapsed onto the sofa with him, sighing with relief. "I bet you're glad to be home."

"Always be glad t'be home, yo. I don't like bein' stuck with no needles." There was silence between them for a few moments. "... Ya really glad I'm alive?"

Sephiroth peered over at him and gave him a wan smile. "I'm glad you're not dead. It would be lonely without your blabbering."

"Pfft. Ya ain't seen shit yet, yo. Just wait til I get ready t'get up and start movin' and I can't cuz of the doctor's orders."

"I'll make you sit still. Even if I have to tie you up."

"Kinky ain'tcha?" Reno was pleased when Sephiroth turned red from the suggestion. "Knew it. Everybody's got a dark secret, yo. That's why ya like all that leather, yo."

"I am nothing of the sort. I just don't want you tearing up the healing of the damage you've already sustained. Plus...well... Like I said, I'm glad you're alive and I wish to keep you that way."

"Well I'm gonna go through this again one day, yo. I'm a Turk. Stuff like that happens."

"I just don't like it happening...and I will try to prevent it as much as I can."

"You're talkin' like we're a married couple. We ain't even together. Are we?"

"I don't know. You get awfully comfortable in my bed. Are we?"

Reno shrugged, trying to appear as nonchalant as he could. "I 'unno, ya ain't asked me so I guess we ain't."

"Then we 'ain't' as you put it. Why don't you go and lie down and get some rest and we can talk about all the retarded topics that you've dreamed up in your hospital stay tomorrow?"

"... Ya comin' t'bed later, yo?"

"After I shower. Go to sleep, Reno."

***

Rehabilitation involved going back to work and actually doing paperwork while he was settling back into his role as the clown of ShinRa. While he couldn't scuffle through air vents anymore or jump the fence in the parking lot any longer, he was able to make plenty of trouble. For instance, he took great pleasure in hiding Sephiroth's snack money. In fact, it was kind of a rehabilitation factor of his own. He whistled as he limped away on crutches from Seph's office, just as the silver haired one rounded the corner.

***

Sephiroth glowered at the glass in the snack machine. It was almost time to go home and yet, the prize eluded him. He didn't have enough change, didn't have his ShinRa ID card, and didn't know how in the world he would get them out. He sighed. "If Reno were here..." He gave the snack crackers a mournful look, then turned and hung his head, wandered off to go home.

***

"You hid my change?"

"Your ass is gettin' fat, yo. I had t'do somethin'. All ya do is sit flat on your ass all day and-... Holy shit, you're fast, yo."

Sephiroth touched noses with Reno so he would make sure they saw eye to eye. "Don't touch my stuff without permission."

"But it was fun."

"So?"

"Sew buttons, bitch." Reno leaned in and pecked Sephiroth on the lips.

***

"Reno? How did you get a black eye?"

"Sephiroth dotted me."

Rude raised a brow, but didn't even ask. "They make battered women shelters for that, you know."


	14. Fanning the Old Flames

"What'cha doin', yo?" He peered over Sephiroth's shoulder, red strands tickling the silver one's face.

The general allowed himself a smile as he reached up, tangling gloved fingers around the strands to tug slightly. "I'm writing something up to deal with a problem out west. I'm going to have to go and deal with it soon. I don't know how we're going to do it without Angeal and Genesis, but everything will be fine eventually."

Reno tipped his beer back before sitting down next to Sephiroth on the sofa. "Ain'tcha gonna miss me when ya go on the mission?"

"Sure won't. I'll have plenty of eye candy on the trip, two that aren't as scrawny as you are."

"That just ain't fair, yo. Ya still ain't professed your dyin' love an' devotion to me. What if ya disappear off the face'a Gaia when ya go and ya never see me again?" He laughed. As if that would ever happen.

"Ah, I might just. It's this backwoods place called Nibelheim. We have a reactor there that's been spewing monster out onto the landscape and terrorizing villagers. They're sending Zack and a few cadets and myself out to see about it. Though honestly, I don't see why I have to go. I have an array of much better things to attend to."

Reno smirked. "They're tryin' t'tell ya to take a vacation, yo. That's what it is." He leaned against Sephiroth and was very pleased when not only did he move away, but he wrapped his arm around him. They'd come a long way since that first hair-sheering incident. "Ya know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think ya was kinda likin' me bein' around, yo."

Sephiroth placed his pen down and peered down at Reno. He thought on it for a moment and then nodded. "I suppose you could say that. I've grown fond of company, though I'm not quite so sure that it's you specifically." He smiled only slightly as his mind whirled with disagreement.

"Y'know what?"

"What?"

"I can see past your bullshit, yo. I know ya love me, ya stubborn bastard. I won't never forgive ya if y'don't admit it, yo."

"I suppose I'll never be forgiven, Red. What a horrible th-" He was silenced with an impassioned kiss that he just couldn't really find in himself to pull out of.

***

Sephiroth woke early the next morning, stretched and stood from bed. He peered down at his living pillow and shook his head. Reno had stretched himself over the bed, taking up over half of it. No wonder he couldn't get any sleep… And so, Sephiroth went and showered and then to collect breakfast, not knowing exactly what lay in store for the two of them.

***

The two men ate in silence, neither one looking forward to the parting that they would have to witness later that day. Sephiroth was set to leave with his ragtag band of ShinRas later that day and Reno wasn't pleased. He had a bad feeling about it. "Y'make sure ya come back in one piece, 'kay? And none'a that fancy fightin' bullshit, yo."

Sephiroth peered up at him and smiled. "And why not? I like all of that fancy fighting bullshit as you call it. I'm a SOLDIER, you're a Turk. You do what you want to do, and I'll do what I get ready to do when I get ready to do it."

"Ya like doin' it, don'tcha?

"What?"

"Fannin' the flames, ya dumbass. That's all ya do. Damn troublemakers."

They shared their last laugh.

***

Rude sighed and rubbed Reno's shoulders as he faceplanted on the desk. "I'm sure it's a mistake. He can't be gone. They say that when things like that happen… That you can feel if they're dead or not."

Reno wasn't so sure about that. It sure felt like a part of him had died.

***

The years passed slowly for Reno when he had nothing to do, and more quickly when he did have something to do. He kept his mind on missions, fought AVALANCHE, and had hope for a moment that the Sephiroth that had surfaced in that bleak moment in the world was his, but he'd known from the get-go that he wasn't. If he had been, he would've come back, would've said hello, would've claimed his hairbrush in the bathroom of the apartment they'd shared. No, he hadn't moved out in all that time.

He went on, day by day, drinking himself into a stupor. Until one day, there was a knock on the door. He didn't know if he wanted to cry or if he wanted to laugh or if he just wanted to shut the door. But the green cat eyes implored him to open their door wider and welcome an old face back in. Unlike the maniacal ones he'd seen not too long before…these were kinder, they had sanity once more. "Strange seein' a stranger here, yo. Fannin' the old flames, eh, babe? They're still there."

He smiled that sly grin, ignoring the dirt smudging the sides of his face. In Reno's opinion, it set his eyes off even more than usual. "What else would I be doing, Red?"

Reno caught him when he collapsed.


End file.
